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01/21/2025 | News release | Distributed by Public on 01/22/2025 11:05

BU Women’s Hockey Falls to Northeastern in Beanpot Championship

BU Women's Hockey Falls to Northeastern in Beanpot Championship

Boston University fans at the Beanpot Championship Tuesday night at TD Garden. The game drew a crowd of 13,279, the fifth-highest attendance for a Division I women's hockey game. Photo by Jackie Ricciardi

WOMEN'S BEANPOT

BU Women's Hockey Falls to Northeastern in Beanpot Championship

Fifth largest crowd to see an NCAA Division I women's hockey game ends with Huskies 4-0 victory

January 21, 2025
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A year ago, the Boston University women's hockey team found itself under the bright lights of TD Garden with a Beanpot championship on the line against tournament powerhouse and crosstown rival Northeastern University.

This year's Dunkin' Women's Beanpot Championship looked awfully similar-same place, same teams, and unfortunately for BU, for the second straight year, same result, this time a 4-0 Northeastern win, the Huskies' 20th Beanpot title. This year's crowd of 13,279 broke the Beanpot record set last year by over 2,000, making it the fifth most-attended Division I women's hockey game.

"What a great time for women's sports and a great time for hockey in this city and for women's hockey," Terrier head coach Tara Watchorn (CAS'12) said in the post-game press conference. "The growth in women's hockey, it just keeps going up year after year after year, and I feel pretty proud to be able to give that experience to the young women that have chosen to come here and represent our school."

Neely Nicholson (Questrom'27) handles the puck during the Beanpot Championship at TD Garden January 21. This was the fourth meeting between Northeastern and BU in the tournament final, with the Huskies winning all four matchups. Photo by Fia McCarty/BU Athletics

The game had all the same frills as last year-a sold-out lower bowl of TD Garden overflowing into the upper deck, players exchanging pucks with kids during warm-ups, and rousing cheers from each team's student section. It was just the fourth time these two schools have played with hardware on the line in the 46-year history of the Women's Beanpot. The Huskies have won all four.

In net, Northeastern started standout freshman Lisa Jönsson, who ranks second in the NCAA in goals-against average and first in save percentage, at .951. The Terriers sent Callie Shanahan (CAS'25) to the TD Garden crease with a .931 save percentage and the third-best GAA in Hockey East.

The Terriers and Huskies split possession in the game's opening minutes, with Northeastern earning more dangerous looks on rushes. BU was put on its heels when forward Riley Walsh (CAS'26) took a hooking penalty at 4:43 of the first period. The Terriers own the third-best penalty kill in the nation and played up to their standard.

All it took was one unlucky bounce for the Terriers to fall into an early hole. Northeastern's Lily Yovetich collected the puck at the blue line and rifled a shot from the point that hit off the stick of BU's Ani Fitzgerald (COM'25). The puck took an errant hop and wobbled over Shanahan into the mesh behind her.

"It's tough to come from a goal down knowing that they're a good defensive team and a good goaltender," Watchorn said.

It was all the offense Northeastern would need. A pair of Northeastern goals in the second period, less than a minute apart, put the game away for the Huskies, as Shanahan was barraged with shots, sending the Huskies fans into a frenzy.

Goaltender Callie Shanahan (CAS'25) makes a save during the 2025 Beanpot Championship at TD Garden. Shanahan recorded 27 saves, but the offense was shut out in its second-straight game en route to a championship defeat. Photo by Fia McCarty/BU Athletics.

On the other side of the ice, the Terriers could never crack Jönsson, who made impressive save after impressive save to keep them off the scoreboard. By the end of the night, the Terriers had the same amount of shots, 30, as the Huskies. BU pulled Shanahan, who made 27 saves, with just over five minutes remaining, and Northeastern scored the empty-net goal at 17:16 to cap the scoring.

"[Shanahan] made some key saves for us, kept us in it," Watchorn said. "She's a leader back there, and she really did give us a chance to win and play great again tonight."

The Terriers now turn their attention to this weekend's home-and-home series with Holy Cross.

"It's something that doesn't define our success," Watchorn said. "This team has a lot in them for the rest of the year."

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